The Heart of the Matter
by Bohemian.Butterfly
Summary: Sharon has received a job offer from the NFL, but she's nervous to tell Andy about it. One night, during some down time in the middle of their latest case, Sharon goes over to Andy's house for dinner. How will he react after she tells him? Does he have something to tell Sharon as well?


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: So, the prompt for this story was suggested by one of the blogs I follow on Tumblr, tvfreakd and the tags were reblogged by one of my followers, quirkette100. There were two different options for the prompt and I went with the one where Sharon accidentally finds the letter Andy wrote to her before he went into surgery a few months back and then she ends up telling Andy about the NFL offer. Enjoy!

 **The Heart of the Matter**

Sharon was coming over to Andy's house for dinner tonight, which was a minor miracle itself considering how busy they'd both been with all of the twists and turns of their latest case. Sharon had gone home to change clothes after they had left work and just as Andy was thinking that she should be arriving soon, he heard the front door open and close. As he continued stirring the sauce for the pasta on the stove, Andy heard Sharon's footsteps approaching him and smiled to himself as he felt her wrap her arms around him from behind.

"Hi. What are you making? It smells amazing," said Sharon as she kissed Andy's shoulder through his t-shirt.

As Andy set the spoon down and turned in Sharon's arms to wrap his own around her, he said, "Hi. It's mushroom Florentine pasta."

"Mmhmm. It smells like heaven. Especially after ordering in food for every meal for the last couple of days," Sharon told him.

Andy continued holding Sharon and leaned down to kiss her before he asked her, "Have I told you tonight that you're looking beautiful as ever?"

"Don't lie. I'm in leggings, a t-shirt, and a cardigan. That's the farthest thing from being sexy," Sharon told Andy.

"I disagree. You wanna know why?" Andy asked her as he pulled Sharon closer to him.

"Sure. Enlighten me," Sharon told him.

"Well, first of all, the cardigan creates an air of mystery as to what's hiding beneath it," Andy began as he rubbed the back of his hand along Sharon's arm.

"Then, the leggings show off one of your many great features," Andy explained.

"And what would that be?" Sharon asked him flirtatiously.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," said Andy as his hands dipped down to rest on Sharon's butt.

As Sharon chuckled in his arms, she asked, "And what about the shirt? There's literally nothing less sexy than a t-shirt."

"Except this is the one I left at your place when I spent the night last week and as I recall it looked much better on you," Andy told her as he tugged on the end of it.

"You should see what I have underneath it," Sharon whispered teasingly before she turned around to walk out of his grasp.

Andy caught Sharon's hand and pulled her back towards him.

"Speaking of that, have I mentioned another added benefit of this t-shirt?" Andy asked Sharon.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me," Sharon replied as she smiled up at Andy.

"Well, because it's baggy, it makes it a lot easier to slip my hands underneath it and do this…among other things," said Andy as he slid his hands underneath Sharon's shirt and ran his thumbs along her ribcage.

As Andy did this, Sharon breath hitched sharply before she said, "To be continued. You better get back to that pasta before you end up burning it."

"We could always forget about the pasta," Andy told her.

"We could. It smells really good though and I happen to be pretty hungry. Plus…" Sharon trailed off.

"Plus what?" Andy asked Sharon as he pulled her towards him.

"If we eat too much pasta, we can always work it off later," Sharon told him.

"And this is one of the many reasons why you're my girlfriend. You always have the best ideas," Andy told her.

"Pay attention to the pasta," Sharon told him as she lightly shoved Andy back towards the stove as she opened a drawer in search of something in particular.

"Hey, Andy. Where's the lighter that was in here? I thought I'd light some candles to set the mood for our evening activities later on," said Sharon.

Andy looked over and smiled at her before he said, "Check the left drawer of the buffet table in the living room. It might have gotten stuck in there."

As Andy combined the pasta with the sauce in a pan, Sharon walked into the living room in search of the lighter. She opened the left drawer and found what she was looking for, but she saw something underneath it as well. When she looked at it closer, she realized it was an envelope with her name written on it. She wondered what was inside it and her curiosity got the best of her as she took the envelope out of the drawer and began to open it. Inside was a sheet of yellow notebook paper with a letter clearly written in Andy's handwriting. Sharon was intrigued and as she began to read it, it said:

 _Dear Sharon,_

 _I hope you never have to read this letter and that I'll come through this surgery fine and be able to tell you these words myself: I love you. I've been nervous to tell you that, but if I don't make it, I wanted you to know that I loved you and that you were loved by me beyond belief._

 _I love the way you care about other people and what happens to them. Speaking from personal experience, I'm not even sure I can express how truly grateful I am to you for going with me to Nicole's wedding and then helping me to begin repairing my relationship with my family, especially with my kids. I remember the night of the wedding like it was yesterday, even though it's been almost two years now. You looked so beautiful in that purple dress you wore. I'm not sure if you noticed, but when I picked you up that afternoon and saw you in that dress, it literally took my breath away…and my words too apparently as I fumbled for the right words to say to you that wouldn't make you feel uncomfortable. Then, at the reception that night, you charmed pretty much everyone in my family with your ease and grace, despite the awkwardness of the situation. So much so, that they thought we were a couple, which as you now know, may have been an assumption that I didn't try to correct. If I'm being honest, after that night, I didn't want to correct their assumptions. Up until then, I had only seen the tough Captain with an affinity for the rules, but that night you gave me a glimpse into who Sharon Raydor, the woman was, and I have to say that I was quite intrigued. How someone who projected such an air of strength and authority at work could be such a warm and tender hearted person outside the four walls of the PAB was a mystery to me, but one I was definitely interested in finding out more about._

 _As I did, I came to find out more things that I liked…and now love about you. Like how you're almost always willing to give people a second chance, whether they deserve it or not. Let's face it, this relationship would've gone absolutely nowhere if you hadn't forgiven me for being a complete ass to you back in your FID days. Or how good you look in a pair of jeans when we go out to the movies or how sexy you look in the morning before you've had a chance to do your hair and makeup. I also love how flirtatious you are with me, which mostly happens outside of work, but if we're being completely honest, we've let it happen a few times at work too. Like when you look at me from across the room and smile at me or you lightly brush your hand against my arm as I walk by you. I love that. It's simple and understated, but it still creates that connection we both seek, especially when we're working long hours on a case and haven't seen each other outside of the PAB in a week. Or more recently, how you've been doing your best to take care of me after I got injured, even when I was grumpy about not being able to do things for myself. I love how nurturing you are, not only with me, but with everyone in your life that you care about. I also love how when you decide to do something, you do it with your whole heart, even if it means that you might get hurt. You're fearless and that might be one of the things I love most about you._

 _I'm not sure if I ever told you this, but it took me a while to work up enough courage to ask you out on our first date. I questioned myself and if I was reading the signs correctly or not. I was scared that if I was wrong, it would ruin the great friendship that we'd already built. As luck would have it, I wasn't wrong and you agreed to go on that first date with me and many more after that. I have to say though, I was once again in awe of you that night in the murder room. Knowing how you'd been hurt in the past, I hadn't expected you to so easily agree to go on a date with me. In fact, a part of me thought you might say no for a host of different reasons. Like I said before though, you're fearless and you jumped heart first into this thing we call dating. I want you to know that it has been and will hopefully continue to be much more than that for me though. You have touched my heart in more ways than I can count and at this point, I honestly don't know what I'd do without you._

 _I love you,_

 _Andy_

As she finished reading the letter, she heard Andy's footsteps approaching her and rather than try to hide that she had found the letter, she turned around to look at him as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. As he saw the yellow paper in her hand, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"You weren't supposed to find that. I actually forgot I had even stuck it in that drawer a few months back," Andy told her as he smiled at her.

"Andy, I want to get to this letter and what it all means for us, but there's something I need to tell you about first. Something that I've been nervous to tell you about," Sharon told him.

"What is it, Sharon?" Andy asked concernedly.

"I got a call the other day. A job offer actually. Chief of Security for the NFL," Sharon told him.

"That's great, Sharon! What did you tell them?" Andy asked her.

"I told them that I'd get back to them. I wanted to talk to you and Rusty about it first. Let me finish though before you get too excited about it," Sharon told him.

"It's a great opportunity for you Sharon. Why wouldn't I be excited about it?" Andy asked her curiously.

"It would require a lot of traveling. Which means that we wouldn't see each other nearly as much as we do now. Plus, Rusty just started UCLA and I'm not sure if I want to leave him here by himself. I mean he's grown up a lot over these last few years, but I'm not quite sure he's ready to be on his own just yet," Sharon told him.

As Andy looked at her with a mix of delight and sadness, he said, "I can't lie and say I wouldn't miss you like crazy when you're not here, but we can make it work. Plus, if you're worried about Rusty, I'd be willing to check in on him when you're traveling to make sure he's alright and I'm sure Provenza would too. If this is what you want, we'll make it work."

"I appreciate your support, but I haven't made a decision yet. I wanted to talk to you and Rusty first since it would impact the two of you the most," Sharon told him.

"Well, you have my support if that's what you want to do. Have you talked to Rusty about any of this yet?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. A couple days ago before we got wrapped up in this case. He didn't seem to feel one way or the other about it," said Sharon.

"It's probably because, like me, he wants you to make this decision for yourself, based on what you want and not what everyone else wants. You've spent the majority of your adult life taking care of people and making decisions based on what other people in your life wanted you to do. Now, it's your turn to make decisions based on what you want to do, Sharon. I'll support you either way and I'm sure Rusty will too," Andy told her.

Sharon smiled at Andy before she said, "Thank you. Now, enough about that for now. Let's get back to this letter I was never supposed to find."

"Okay, but how about you light those candles first while I get our pasta before it gets cold," said Andy.

"Deal," Sharon told Andy as she smiled at him as he made his way into the kitchen.

* * *

Once Sharon lit the candles and Andy had brought their food and drinks into the living room, he sat down next to Sharon and pulled her closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Where to begin," said Andy.

"Let's start with when you wrote that letter," said Sharon.

"Okay. I wrote it when I ended up in the hospital after passing out from that blood clot. Provenza was making jokes about the whole DNR thing, but honestly I think he was just doing that because he was scared. I think even Rusty was starting to get concerned with how lightly Provenza seemed to be taking these very serious questions because at one point he tried to save me from Provenza. Anyways, Rusty stepped out of the room for a minute and after he left, I leveled with Provenza. I told him that if something happened to me during surgery and I didn't make it, that I wanted him to let you know that I loved you. He was surprisingly cool about it, but told me to write it all down and he'd see what he could do. So, when he left I wrote that letter you found tonight. Thankfully, nothing bad happened and I made it through the surgery. When I moved back to my place, he gave it back to me and I guess I stuffed it in that drawer for some reason. I wanted to tell you before now, but after the surgery, it never seemed like the right time and honestly I was afraid that I'd scare you off if I said it too soon. Now that you know though, I'm never gonna stop telling you. I love you, Sharon. I'm in love with you and like I said in the letter, I honestly don't know what I'd do without you," said Andy.

Sharon caressed Andy's cheek before her hand came to rest on top of his and she said, "You wouldn't have scared me off. I could tell there was something you wanted to say to me that night in the hospital right before they took you to surgery. Part of me might have been scared in that moment, but that fear disappeared as quickly as it came. When they wheeled you down the hall, I was kicking myself for not letting you say it because in that moment, I wanted to say it too. Then, like you said, it never seemed like the right moment after that, but the truth is there is no right moment. So, we might as well just tell each other how we feel because as we saw with your surgery, anything can happen. And in case you're wondering, I love you too, Andy. So much it makes me crazy sometimes. And I'm not 100% sure what's going to happen tomorrow or in the next few months or years. What I do know though, is that whatever happens, I want you to be standing there with me," Sharon told Andy before she leaned over and kissed him.

As they briefly broke apart for air, Andy asked Sharon, "Now, can we forget about the pasta?"

Sharon nodded her head and smiled at Andy before she said, "We can always reheat it later."

It was then that Andy picked Sharon up off the couch and carried her down the hall toward the bedroom as they continued kissing along the way. Both intent on living in the present moment and showing the other how deeply loved they were.

* * *

The next morning, Sharon woke up before Andy. She laid there for a while just staring at him as she contemplated the pros and cons of accepting or declining the NFL offer she'd gotten a few days ago. As she laid there, deep in thought, she heard her phone begin to vibrate on the nightstand. She turned quickly to grab it before it woke up Andy, but her quick movement had woken him up anyway.

"Who the hell is calling you at 6:30am? It better not be Provenza or I'll shoot him myself," Andy joked sleepily.

Sharon chuckled at the text message on her screen before she said, "Nobody's shooting anybody. It's just Rusty. He sent me a text message. He may not care either way about this whole NFL offer, but he still insists on sending me text messages comparing my current job to it. Look."

As Sharon turned her phone towards Andy, he looked at the text message. It read:

 _Wake up and fight a gang war or watch Green Bay fight to the finish? Seems like an easy choice to me._

As Andy finished reading it, he chuckled before he said, "Smart kid. And you do love football."

Sharon chuckled before she said, "So everyone keeps reminding me. For now though, let's focus on not being late to the job I already have."

"If that means we get to shower together, I'm all for this plan," said Andy as he placed a soft kiss behind Sharon's ear.

"Okay, but if you make us late, I swear I'll bury you in paperwork all day," Sharon warned him.

"Since when have I ever made us late?" Andy asked sarcastically.

As Sharon headed towards the bathroom, she rolled her eyes at Andy's comment. It was mornings like today where Rusty sent her funny text messages and Andy was his usual charming self that served to remind her just how great of a life she was living at the moment. It was then that she realized that no amount of money or intriguing job offers could persuade her to leave LA. Her life was here in Los Angeles and so was her heart.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this fic! As always, leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this story! Thanks for reading!


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